April Come She Will
by maramouse
Summary: What would have happened if Luke had not sought advice from a self-help book? Would he have still tried to keep Lorelai and April apart, and could his relationship with April have helped bring Lorelai and him together? AU S6. JJ! *First GG FF: on hiatus!*
1. Prologue

Author's Note: If you've read the author's note for my first GG fanfiction, "When You See Her Face," then you'll have heard the story of how my mom and I got into Gilmore Girls this summer (and please do read it-the story, not the author's note. It's dramatic, yes, but it deserves some more love).

The inspiration for this fic came from my wondering if Luke would have tried to shut Lorelai out of April's life so much had Lorelai and he had not been dating at the time...would he have let Lorelai and April have gotten to know each other if Luke and Lorelai had simply stayed friends? After a few more ideas, this fanfiction was born! It starts at the end of Season Five, but mainly takes place in Season Six, and if you haven't picked it up from the summary, what you have to know is this: Luke never got the romance self help book/tapes, so he never "saw Lorelai's face" (though of course he really continued to "see" her face as much as normal, he just didn't do anything about it!), and thus, never asked Lorelai out. Lorelai, in turn, opened her Inn like normal, and Luke and Lorelai remained friends. Lorelai also started dating Christopher again after they had too many drinks when she came to him after his father died-in my world, being drunk caused them to land in bed together. Rory's life in Season Five and Six is pretty much the same as it is on the show (ie, Logan), but you'll see more of that later. Everything else I have not mentioned (the lives of the elder Gilmores, Sookie, Lane, Paris, etc) is basically also the same as it is on the show. Enjoy!

Oh, and no, I do not own Gilmore Girls-if I did, things in the Java Junkie world would have gone a little smoother. ;) Title for this fic comes from the Simon and Garfunkel song; dialogue and premise is borrowed from Episode 5.22, "A House is Not a Home."

P.S. I went out to eat tonight, and I was mentioning Paul Anka (the dog), and this waiter overheard and asked me how in the world I knew who Paul Anka was (meaning the person), since I'm only sixteen. He was oddly relieved when he learned that my only knowledge of Paul Anka the person comes from Paul Anka the fictional dog (though for the purpose of the conversation, we just pretended he was a real dog...and he is real, in my heart!).

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**Prologue**

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It was a warm night in late May. The last stop of a bike race was in heavy gear outside, and if one listened closely, they could hear Taylor yelling at the bike riders coming in that they were late. The bike riders stared at him, confused despite their exhaustion, by the motives of this strange man.

One Stars Hallow resident was immune to the yells of Taylor Doosie. Lorelai Gilmore walked in a daze, still numb by what had happened. Today had certainly been eventful. For the first time in her life, she had thought that her parents had been on her side; for the thousandth time, they had disappointed her.

For the first time, she feared she had lost Rory for good.

Without thinking, Lorelai found herself walking towards the diner of her friend, Luke Danes. Peering through the window, Lorelai found it was dark, but that Luke was still there, cleaning the counter. Before Lorelai could try the door, Luke's and her eyes met. Without a single moment of hesitation, he got out from behind the counter to let her in. That was the thing about Luke; in spite of his gruff exterior, he was always there, no matter what.

Once she had been let in, Lorelai and Luke stared at each other for a good few minutes. Neither was aware of Taylor's voice outside or even of the sound of the bicycles passing through. Finally, Lorelai spoke.

"Rory stole a yacht, and now she's dropping out of Yale."

Luke stared at her, unable to comprehend this new bit of information. "What?"

Lorelai nodded. "That's why I was so upset when I came in here the other night. I didn't want it to get out, but God, I don't think I can keep it in anymore. Logan's dad-the one who gave her that newspaper internship-told her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist, and Rory went to Logan's sister's engagement party instead of Friday night dinner, and she just…flipped out. She won't even let me blame it on Logan; she says it's _her _idea. Her idea, goddamit! Rory didn't even shoplift as a kid! Not a candy bar, lipstick, anything! The one time she forgot to return a library book, she grounded herself! She just sat there in her bedroom yelling at me that no one else could read _The Iliad_ because of her."

Lorelai wiped away a tear. Although just as stunned as Lorelai was, Luke sensed that it would be best to let Lorelai talk this out.

"And now she's quitting Yale. She says she needs a break, that she can't do this anymore because she doesn't want to be in a place where everyone else knows what they want, but that's not true. She _knows _what she wants! She's wanted to be a journalist since she was three! Now one man tells her she can't, and she believes him. I didn't raise her to be like this! I raised her to be strong and determined and independent and to believe that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, but now look at her. One person tells her otherwise, and she's dropping out of school."

Lorelai's eyes filled with tears again, but this time, she made no effort to wipe them away. Instead, she sat down in one of the tables at the diner and buried her face in her arms. Tentatively, Luke touched her arm.

"Are you sure this is definite now?" he asked quietly. "I mean…not going back to Yale…it's a sure thing?"

Lorelai nodded. "I went to my parents for breakfast earlier to tell them about Rory, and they agreed to back me up, but when I went to Friday night dinner tonight, they told me that they had it under control; that she'd stay with them in their pool house and get a job and not go to Yale, and they'd only revisit the subject of her returning after a 'suitable' amount of time had passed. I can't believe I trusted them. I thought maybe for once in my life, we agreed, I'd had their support, and that they could respect what a good mother I've been to Rory, but no. Rory comes in with that Bambi face they can't resist, and now that they have the opportunity of getting the daughter they've always wanted, they don't care anything about me."

"I'm sure that's not true," said Luke, though she could tell he was not sure.

Lorelai laughed bitterly. "Trust me, Luke. My parents are not people to underestimate. And to think I'd thought that dating Christopher had helped the void between us."

"What does Christopher think about this?" Luke said, plainly trying his best to sound like he cared about Rory's father's opinion in this situation.

Lorelai shrugged. "I called him on the way back. He couldn't be here tonight, because of Gigi. He agrees with me, but he also said I was making too big a deal out of this, that Rory was just taking a break, and that's what normal college kids do." Softly, Lorelai said, "I don't think Chris could ever really appreciate Rory's and my dream of her having more than me unless he had been there for Rory's childhood more."

She was surprised by the strength in Luke's voice when he started talking. "Okay, I'm sorry. I have to jump in here. I know you think you have this thing handled, but I can help. First off, we call Yale and we tell them something like, uh, Rory had a chemical imbalance and she was mentally out of her mind when she told them she was dropping out. And then we get her out of your parents' house whatever way we can. We lock her up in her room with you, because you can talk anybody into anything. And if worse come to worse…"

Lorelai stared at Luke, stunned by his resolve. Ever since the first time Luke had met Rory, he had been more like a father to her than Christopher, from going to her caterpillar's funeral to making her mashed potatoes when she had chicken pox to eventually attending her high school graduation with moist eyes. He had even helped drop off things for her first day at Yale, for God's sake (no matter how much he had complained about her using his truck, Lorelai knew Luke's true intentions)! Still, she had never realized until that moment just how much Luke really did care…how similar they both saw the situation in front of them, and how much more similar their own views were than even Lorelai's and Christopher's. In spite of herself, a nagging voice said in Lorelai's head, _He sees it because he was always there for you unlike Christopher, and in some ways, he knows Rory better than he does._

Oblivious to her revelation, Luke was still talking. With more resolve than ever, he said, "She is not quitting school. This was her dream. I am not going to let this happen."

Lorelai looked at Luke for a long time. Sometime during the passion of Luke's speech, he had put his hand on top of Lorelai's. They both stared at it for a minute, Lorelai stunned by how good Luke's hand felt. She was filled with feelings as he pulled it away. There was so much she wanted to say then, but instead, Lorelai stood up and pulled Luke into a hug.

"Thank you, Luke," she said, her voice breaking, as she pressed her face into the collar of his shirt. "Just-thank you for being there for Rory and me…even in times like this. I'm so glad you're my friend."

In a rare display of affection, Luke hugged her back. There was so much else they each wanted to say, but that moment, this was enough.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Thanks for the lovely reviews and story alerts from last time! It means a lot to me that you guys are enjoying, and I hope this chapter is up to standards. I think the story is going to be about 6 or 7 chapters total, but I'm not sure yet. A short story, yes, but maybe inspiration will strike, and I'll make it longer. : ) I also have quite a few Oneshot plot bunnies going around in my head, so keep your eyes out for those!

I'm trying very hard to keep this story current with what would have been happening during Season Six at the time, but to be honest, I think a lot of it is going to be even more AU as things go on; writing Lorelai with the mentality of how she was in S6 when she's with Christopher is just so hard! Plus, even Luke's and April's relationship is waaaay different without Luke dating Lorelai (you'll see; I'm quite proud of what I've done with it, so look forward to it!). As you can see in the beginning of this chapter, I've altered it a little bit so that Rory came home to Lorelai a few days earlier than she did in the show...we'll just pretend Rory was a little less mad at Lorelai, since there wasn't the whole "finding out about the engagement from Luke thing" there was in the show. So forgive that and any other discrepencies.

The dialogue from the first scene in this chapter comes from 6.9, "The Prodigal Daughter Returns" (even though, as I already stated, Rory already has returned by this point, haha). It's not word-to-word perfect, and I skipped over some redudant dialogue, but I also clearly did not write it. ;)

P.S. If you want further proof of my insanity and _Gilmore Girls _obsession (particularly Java Junkie), the night before last I had a dream that Lorelai and Luke had a baby boy, and of course, his name was Will. ;) Rory and Lorelai were cooing over him, and Luke wasn't exactly cooing because Luke's not a cooer, and Lorelai and Rory were trying to convince him that cooing over his son wouldn't hurt anyone. But God, dream Will was soooooooo adorable. It gave me more inspiration to write a Oneshot that's been in my head for a while (though the premise isn't exactly the same as my dream). But anyway, on with the story!

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**Chapter One**

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Several months had passed since the night Lorelai had come to Luke's diner after Rory moved into the pool house. While things were still not perfect between them, Rory had come home a few nights before, and they had spent their first breakfast in the diner, to Luke's delight. On a different note, Lorelai and Christopher were still going strong, but that was another story altogether.

Luke was having trouble keeping up during a lunch rush, when the door opened. Luke didn't give it a second glance until he heard a young voice say, "Excuse me, are you Luke Danes?"

Luke gave a short glance next to him to see a small girl, who looked about twelve. "Yeah, grab a seat, I'll be with you in a moment." He turned back to the woman he had been attending to.

But this girl proved to be just as determined as Lorelai had been, so many years ago. She spoke again, ignoring the woman's next comment. "_You're_ Luke Danes?"

Luke sighed. Brunch rushes were always the worst, since brunch was that awkward, confusing time of day when both lunch and breakfast were served at the same time. "Yes, kid, I'm Luke Danes." He gave her a better look and noticed the strange, elaborate contraction she was wearing on her head. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"A bike helmet," the girl said with authority. After a few more questions and stares from Luke, she said, "When you fall off your bike you fall on your face. You could lose your teeth or hurt your neck."

Luke shrugged. "What do you want to eat?"

The girl looked surprised. "Nothing."

Luke felt annoyance running through him. Many girl scouts had tried to sell him things at the diner before, and the odds of this girl not being one of them was looking very slim. "Then I need the stool space."

"You told me to sit here."

"Well, I thought you were going to order something," Luke said, giving her another look.

"Burger rare!" Caesar called, holding out a plate with a hamburger on it.

After another glance at the girl, Luke turned to Caesar to figure out the hamburger situation. He had expected the girl to leave, but she did not seem unsettled in the least. On the contrary, she was smiling. Luke's antennas rose up further.

"Look, kid, whatever you're selling-"

"I'm not selling anything."

Luke suppressed a snort. Girl scouts always denied that they were selling anything. The ones he encountered usually gave him crap about it not being considered selling anything, because it was for a good cause. "I know, but I'm working, I'm busy." Once again, he found his attention drawn to the ridiculous contraption on her head. "Will you take that thing off?"

The girl obliged, though it took longer than Luke had wanted. She finally took off the helmet to reveal her small face. She wore wiry, magenta glasses, which covered her brown eyes. Her mop of frizzy brown hair was tied back out of her face, and Luke's attention, which had previously been preoccupied with her helmet, was drawn to the dark pink flowers over her light pink sweater. She reminded Luke a little of someone, but he was too preoccupied to figure out whom.

"I need your hair," she said, after he told her to speak.

Now Luke was really staring. "Excuse me?"

The girl did not seem at all fazed. If he hadn't known better, he would have really thought that she was related to Lorelai; indeed, he had never seen anyone so unfazed by the invisible wall he often put up before. "I go to Martin Van Buren Middle School, over in Woodbridge. Do you know it?" Luke shook his head. "Well, every year Samuel Pilotski wins the science fair. Now, it's very important that I beat him this year, because I hate him. This year I have the perfect project. I'm going to take hair samples from three men, run DNA tests on them and figure out which one's my father."

Luke looked up. He had secretly been counting down the seconds until this girl finished talking, but this had certainly caught his attention. "W-what?"

"My uncle works for a lab in Hartford, so he's going to oversee me," the girl explained, not seeming to have heard him. "But I'll be doing all the actual work myself."

Luke's heart rate had begun to increase. "I'm sorry, did you say your father?"

She nodded, pride in her voice. "See, science fairs have gotten so political lately. It's no longer the simple act of science being appreciated. There's got to be a twist, a gimmick. Something flashy. I figure this is perfect. Real science, DNA testing, with a flash of human drama. 'Who's My Daddy?' Catchy, right?"

Luke took a breath to calm himself. He said the next words not only convince this girl, but to cast aside his own lingering doubts. "I don't understand. I'm not-"

"I already have the other two samples," said the girl, once again not giving Luke any evidence that she had heard him. Seriously, if it had not been impossible, he'd have suspected her mother was _Lorelai_, she talked so much. "This is my last stop. I go to the lab tomorrow and the fair's on the sixteenth. And, if I win, there's going to be a banquet on the eighteenth, and you get to choose any two kinds of spaghetti that you want. There's going to be at least ten options, though I know what I'm getting. Split order. Half mushroom, half Myzithra cheese."

"No," Luke muttered to himself.

The girl looked at him, appearing surprised that he had dared to offer his opinion. "Yes, that's what I'm getting."

"No, I mean no, I'm - ow!"

But it was too late. Sometime during his last statement, Luke had let down his guard, and now the girl had plucked out a piece of his hair. Taking advantage of the shock on his face, she grabbed a camera and took a picture. Luke continued to stare at her.

"Wish me luck!" the girl said as she headed back towards the diner's exit, a huge smile on her face.

She put her helmet back on and left the diner. Luke was completely frozen as he stared after her in utter bewilderment.

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Lorelai was only half listening as Christopher spoke on the other end of her cell phone on that faithful day. Michel had let his dogs into the hotel again, and an older woman had had an unfortunate incident with Paw-paw, who had snuck into her unlocked room while she was sleeping. The woman had woken up to Paw-paw on her bed and had screamed so loudly that a terrified Paw-paw had run outside, which was where Lorelai was looking for him now.

Though Lorelai really was preoccupied looking for Paw-paw, truth be told, there was another reason for her reluctance to listen to Christopher. For what had to be the tenth time, he was trying to convince her that it was the right time for them to move in together. Christopher and she had been dating for a year, ever since his father had died and the many drinks they had shared had landed them in bed together. Lorelai could not exactly blame Chris for bring this up, but at the same time, she still felt a nagging feeling about the whole situation. She loved Chris, but she could also not forget how he had shirked his duty to Rory, when Rory was young.

"Come on, Lor," Chris said, as Lorelai checked the stables. To Lorelai's dismay, neither Desdemona nor Cletus seemed to know Paw-paw's location. She leaned against the door of the stables and sighed, the scent of hay wafting in the air. "We see each other every day practically anyhow, and it would just be more convenient. Besides, it would be a lot easier for Gigi. I can't keep paying babysitters, Lor. It's getting expensive."

An unwanted memory of what Rory had been like around Gigi's age came to Lorelai. How much she had wanted Christopher to be there-how much she would have wanted anyone to help her out. Even Mia's support had not been able to fill the empty void inside of her...that empty void that still existed even now, though she was not at all sure what to do about it.

"Lor?" said Christopher, capitalizing on her silence. When she still did not respond, he continued speaking. "Listen, I didn't mean to bring up expenses, when I really don't have a right to complain on account of that fortune, but I really think this could be good for Gigi, too. It's been so hard for her since her mother left, and she needs some female insight, to, I don't know, take her shopping or play with Barbies with her or whatever it is you girls do. She needs someone like you, too."

"Is this what this is about?" Lorelai asked, unable to stop herself. "You finding someone to take care of Gigi, so you don't have to do the work, just like last time?"

"What? No!" Christopher sounded stunned. "That was just another benefit, Lor; I didn't mean that! Of course the main reason I want us to move in together is because of you. You-you know that, don't you?"

"Chris, I have to go now," Lorelai said, stepping out of the stable. "I think I hear Michel calling. I'll call you later."

"Are you sure you're okay? Because I really didn't mean to-"

Lorelai shut the phone before Christopher could finish. She sighed and resumed her search for Paw-paw, Michel's voice echoing in the distance.

By the time Michel finally found Paw-paw, hidden under the Dragonfly's porch, Lorelai needed a moment to think. She sat under a tree and sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest. What excuse in the world did she have to be so empty, anyway? She had her daughter back; she had a nationally recognized Inn, great friends, and even Christopher, whom she had never counted on dating again. She had more than she had ever hoped for herself after having Rory, twenty-one years ago. So why did she continue to feel so sad?

Her phone rang, and Lorelai immediately tensed, suspecting Christopher. It was with great forced enthusiasm that she said, "Hey, I said I'd called you later."

"Lorelai, do you have a moment-I just, I'm really overwhelmed, and I was wondering-can we talk?"

She placed the speaker's use of her full name before his voice. "Luke?" said Lorelai, stunned by the helpless tone in his voice. While Lorelai had come to Luke a few times in distress, to her memory, Luke had never reciprocated with such vigor before. Her mistake at thinking he was Christopher did not even appear to have registered with him. "Is everything all right?"

She heard Luke inhale on the other end. "Yeah, everything's fine…I just have some news, and I don't know how I feel about it yet. I'm at this coffee shop near this middle school in Woodbridge, and the coffee made me think of you, so I just thought-"

"Woodbridge? What are you doing there? Luke, tell me; are you sure you're all right?"

She could almost imagine Luke forcing a smile from the other end of the phone-something that was a rarity in itself, as Luke did not smile very often. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just…if you're not busy-I know you have the Inn and what a pain Michel can be about being left to manage things on his own-but I was just thinking…it's almost time for you to leave anyway, so if you aren't too busy-"

"Michel will just have to deal with it," said Lorelai, without hesitation. "Where are you, Luke? I'm walking back towards Michel to tell him as we speak."

"It's Woodbridge's Coffee Cup. I'm sitting in a table near the window."

"Got it."

She was just about to turn off the phone when Luke added, "Oh, and Lorelai? Thank you."

Lorelai smiled for the first time that day. "You're welcome, Luke. It's no problem. Besides, I owe you. You've bailed me out so many times, that it's high time I did the same."

By the time Lorelai arrived at the Coffee Cup, a quaint, old-fashioned shop with horribly good smelling coffee in the air, it was a good half hour later. Luke stood up as his way to greet her. She was surprised to see that in addition to what appeared to be several cups of coffee on his table, there was also a plate with a half eaten brownie on it.

"Luke?" she said, surveying the table again. "Did you, uh, drink…all of those?"

"Well, this one is for you," said Luke, pushing a fresh cup of coffee towards her. This one was slightly cooler than she preferred, probably because she had taken so long to get there.

She peered at him closer. "Are you sure this is the right Luke? I mean, I didn't even know you had the ability to eat anything unhealthy, you bug me about it so much."

Luke merely shrugged. Now she was really concerned, as she remembered their various coffee squabbles in the past.

She tried again. "Luke?"

Luke took a long time to form his words before he spoke. Lorelai took a piece of the brownie, to entertain herself. Finally, he took a deep breath.

"I have a daughter."

At first, Lorelai was not sure she had heard right. Eyebrows scrunched together, she said, "What?"

"She came to me a few days after Rory came back," Luke said, not even appearing to have heard her. "She rode her bike to my diner, and she was wearing this crazy helmet, and she told me that she was doing this science project-that she wanted to beat some kid or other, and that her science project was finding out who her father was, and she needed a piece of my hair. I was so stunned that she had to grab my hair, and then she rode off and told me the date of the science fair thing. So I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't, so I found myself coming to her school, and there was this big display with these pictures of these two other guys and me, but they…the two other guys…their pictures were crossed out and mine was circled. So I talked to the girl-April, that's her name-and she confirmed it, and I asked her if she wanted to get ice-cream, but she looked at me funny…"

"Oh my God," Lorelai said, still having trouble grasping this.

"Her name is April Nardini," said Luke. He finally seemed to have breathed in some air. "April Nardini," he said again. "Her mom's Anna, who, God, I haven't even thought about since we broke up...twelve years ago. I had a daughter, and I didn't even know about it…for twelve whole years."

He looked down at the table and let out a contorted laugh. Lorelai, unsure of what else to do, got up from her chair and went over to pat Luke on the back. For a moment, neither said anything, both trying to gage the situation in front of them.

Very quietly, Luke said, "I was going to go back to the diner, to pretend this never happened, but I caught whiff of the coffee coming to my car, and I thought of you. You're-you're the only person I've told…the only person I trust to tell besides maybe Liz…for a while, anyway. God, Lorelai." He looked up at her, his tone harsher now. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Luke, I think you do know," Lorelai said, trying to be gentle, in spite of her difficulty believing the situation herself. _Luke, a father…where was I when he met this Anna person? I guess I wouldn't have known him yet. _"You're going to call April's mom, and you're gonna see her again. I know you feel discouraged by the whole ice-cream thing, but April's probably still in shock, too. I remember when Chris started to get in contact with us more, after a long time of not hearing anything from him, how weird it was for Rory. It was like she suddenly had a father she didn't know. Obviously, your situation is different, but…"

But Luke was shaking his head. "At least Christopher knew he had a kid. I-I don't even _like _kids. How the hell am I going to be a father?"

Lorelai sat down again and put her hand on top of Luke's. The texture of his hand beneath hers felt just as wonderful as it had when Luke had comforted her with the same gesture after her fight with Rory, but Lorelai forced herself not to concentrate on that right now. She met his gaze. "Luke, you really don't give yourself enough credit. I mean, you loved Rory, back when she was around, um, April's age, too. I know Rory isn't like most kids, but this April-doing genetic testing to try to win a school's science fair-she seems really smart. So hey, if April's another kid who's more like a little adult than anything, you'll be able to relate to her. Besides, with your genes, I really doubt any daughter of yours is into that whole makeup, shopping scene. You'll do just fine."

"I just can't believe I didn't _know _about her," Luke said again. "My own daughter, goddammit! Sure, I might not have liked kids then, but-"

"Luke," said Lorelai as she pressed her hand down more firmly on his own, concerned about making a scene.

"I would've brought the Twickham house," said Luke, his voice softer now, and although Lorelai had no idea what he was talking about, she found herself looking at him. No doubt sensing her confusion, Luke said, "When I was a kid, I always liked the Twickham house, and I had dreams about settling my family there. Then, when my dad died, those dreams died away, but…now…if I'd known about April, maybe I would have gotten it when it was first available; I don't know."

Lorelai studied Luke, surprised by the sorrow she saw written in his face. "Are you sorry?" she said quietly. "Not just about not knowing about April obviously, but her mother. Would you have tried to make it work with her-had you known?"

"No," said Luke, and he let out a sigh. "Well, yeah, I mean, maybe I would have proposed to her, made things work, but like I said, I've barely thought about Anna since we broke up. She was one of my better girlfriends, but she…I never really missed her, either."

"I suppose that's good," Lorelai said softly. The same feeling she had felt upon finding out about Rachel and learning that Nicole and Luke had moved in together had begun to gnaw at her again, but she did not know why.

"Well, if it makes you feel better," said Lorelai, startling herself with the statement, "I know…if you'd been there and now too…that you'll be a great father. I mean, you're a whole lot more reliable than most men these days. I remember this once, after you brought over those mashed potatoes for Rory's chicken pox, without even really knowing her at the time-the look in her eyes told me she wished someone like you was her father." Lorelai gave Luke a small smile. "I've seen that look in her eyes a few times, actually."

For the first time since she had come in, Luke seemed to be listening to Lorelai's side of the conversation. "Is, uh, everything all right with Christopher and you?"

"It's fine," said Lorelai, though she realized then that she had not yet called back Christopher like she'd promised. She hoped he would understand about this when she told him; that maybe it would help cease their fight before, seeing as at least she had had the decency to tell Christopher that he was going to be a father. "I mean, he might not have been the poster dad when Rory was younger, but he's doing a lot better now. I just wish…" But she shrugged, realizing she did not want to get into it right now.

As a way to change the subject, Lorelai gave Luke's hand a squeeze. He frowned when she did it, and they looked at each other for a long time. Unable to think with Luke's gaze so fixated on hers, Lorelai pulled away her hand. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and looked at Luke again.

"Luke, I know you're worried and that this is a big shock and that maybe you're half hoping you'll forget it ever happened, but I know you. You could never be Christopher, even if you were as young as he was when I got pregnant. You might not show it much, but you're a family guy; I mean, you were in way over your head with Jess, but I saw what you did for him. Liz let it slip last time she was visiting that the whole reason Jess came for her wedding was because of you, and I think that's great.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you've done so much for Rory and me over the years, from feeding us to making us smile at those rants you used to do at the town meetings, and just being there, as a friend, one of the few consistent ones in my life. And if you want any help with April, after you've considered this thing and gotten your head around it and maybe saw her a few times, I'm willing to offer it. I know a thing or two about eleven or twelve-year-old girls, and if she really is as smart as she sounds like from that science fair thing, I'm sure Rory wouldn't mind lending her a few books. And…I can talk to her, not steal the spotlight from you obviously, but maybe we can do our whole banter over the coffee; that always used to make Rory laugh. And, I don't know, if she wants to hang out at the Inn or something, if you aren't ready to bring her by the diner and have the whole town know, maybe she likes horses, and I could set her up with Desdemona and Cletus…"

She trailed off, uncertain whether this was just another one of her famous rambles. But as she looked at Luke, she realized that his attention was completely focused on her, as though he had been afraid of missing a single word. This alone was enough to silence her for the time being. Seeing that she had finished speaking, Luke said, "That-that would really mean a lot. I mean, I do want to get to know her on my own too, but if you'd be willing to break the ice a little, maybe coax her into looking past the whole gruff thing I seem to do…I'd really appreciate it." Looking more like Luke now, he said, smirking, "After all, half the time you're around you act like a T.V. character, and what kid doesn't like watching cartoons?"

"Hey!" said Lorelai, pretending to be offended, but she could tell from Luke's warm tone that he meant it as a compliment. In a way, she was relieved to hear the joking Luke again, after so much seriousness from before.

Unsure of what else to do, Lorelai stood up and engulfed Luke in a hug. Luke seemed surprised, but gave no indication of wanting to pull away. And so they stay there for a good few minutes, the hug reminiscent of last time, Lorelai distinctly aware of how much she didn't want the hug to end.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: And here we are for the third chapter! Thanks so much for your reviews, alerts, and support. Make sure to tell me if you see any typos, because since this chapter is pretty long (hope that's good for you!), I'm sure I haven't caught all of them. Also, you'll notice that I have increased this to a "T" rating-there's not going to be anything explicit here, but there are a few suggestive things in this chapter, so I thought I'd better be prepared just in case (Dirty!).

Oh, and no, I do not own _Gilmore Girls_. Inspiration/references for some of the lines in this come from 6.11 "The Perfect Dress" and 6.12 "Just Like Gwen and Gavin". As I mentioned before, I'm not keeping this exactly to the _Gilmore Girls _timeline from Season Six, so excuse me if I slip up a bit.

P.S. (Notice how I keep doing cute P.S.'s? Well, I shall try to keep this up!). Next time you're on Youtube-which I recommend is right after you read this chapter-look up "Gilmore Girls: Scott and Lauren Blooper". Greatest. Thing. EVER! Man, it's not even funny how much I loooove that clip. I've been watching some lovely GG Youtube videos/Behind-The-Scenes/Interviews on this fine Labor Day (and isn't Lauren Graham the absolute coolest in real life? I sooooo want to be her bffl! Hey, so who cares if I'm so much younger than her?).

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Two**

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a good few weeks before Luke was able to get the courage up to call Anna. Although he knew that he needed to make up for lost time with April as soon as possible, he was still worried, in spite of himself. He already had a good idea of why Anna hadn't told him before he talked to her, and he was still angry at her for hiding such an important secret.

When he finally did talk to her, what stood out the most about their conversation had nothing to do with April. Instead, it was a short conversation by the door, just as he was leaving.

"You happy?" she asked him, a big smile on her face.

Luke was taken aback. Was he happy? He had a successful business, yes, and he was nervous-but very excited-about getting to know his daughter, but happy? Luke had never really thought about it before. In his opinion, the whole concept of "happy" and "happily-ever-after" was found in fairytales, not real life. Even if there was such a thing as "happily-ever-after," a moment later, things could change. That was what had happened after his parents' deaths, after all.

Still, this was not something he could share with Anna. He envied her. Though she was also single, at least she had April, and was thus not completely alone. The closest thing Luke had ever had to his own family was the disheveled, teenage Jess, sleeping on a spare mattress. Sometimes, he even wished he had what Liz had. Though the thought of having had so many husbands and T.J. made his stomach turn, at least her life seemed to work for her.

He answered Anna with a smile, but alone that night, he could not stop thinking about it. _Happy. _Goddammit, how dare Anna give him anything else to think about besides the news that he had a kid? Hadn't she already done enough to unsettle his life?

After Luke finally nodded off to sleep, he woke up with a start, painfully alert, in the middle of the night. As he attempted to calm down his breaths, he realized ironically enough, he had felt happy in his dream. Sure, it was maybe something he shouldn't admit, but there…with that beautiful person in his arms…he had felt content.

But just as his whole outlook on life had changed after his parents' deaths, Luke's mood had completely changed now. Where he had felt happiness in the dream, he now felt more alone and sad than ever.

Tiredly, he closed his eyes. Maybe it was stupid, but if there was any chance of recreating that feeling he had felt in his dream, then by God, he was going to take it.

XXXXXXX

"Hey, Daddy!" Lorelai said to Luke the moment she entered the diner, a few days after Luke's conversation with Anna.

Luke almost dropped the plate of eggs he'd been serving. "Jeez, Lorelai, you scared me."

"Sorry," said Lorelai. Kirk, who had been sitting at the table Luke was serving, gave her a befuddled look. In return, she gave him a dazzling smile. As though paranoid Lulu would come in and see, Kirk turned away, without asking Lorelai what she had been talking about.

Lorelai smiled as Luke came to her table, glaring. "Jeez, Lorelai, you can't do it. I thought you were in with me on that whole 'keeping this from the town' thing."

"Relax, Luke. They probably think this is just another inside joke between us. We have a lot of them, you know." Luke was still scowling at her, so Lorelai lowered her voice. "So, hey, tell me. How did yesterday go with April? You didn't freeze at the park, did you?"

"Well, I may have been a little quick in deciding to go to the park," Luke said grudgingly, "but it was okay. We counted how many times this one guy dropped Frisbees. April seemed to really like that."

"Nothing like some good old fashioned Moe, Larry, and Curly to brighten the mood," said Lorelai approvingly. "So, do you know when you're going to see her again?"

Luke checked to make sure no one was watching them. "Actually, she's coming by today. She has this whole week off because she goes to a year round school or something. I'm going to give her a lecture on talking to strangers, but…I guess the town'll find out when they find out."

"Yeah, if Miss Patty and Babette come in here, they'll be able to get her to say anything." She glanced at Luke's face. He had been a little weird around her lately, which she attributed to finding out about April, but it was still slightly unnerving. "Do you mind if I come in to see her?"

Luke looked surprised. "You want to come in and see her? You mean looking at her website with me wasn't enough?"

"Yeah, maybe I'll invite her to the Dragonfly. I mean, if it's okay with you," Lorelai remembered to add. "She just seemed like such a cool kid from her website, and she's your daughter, and well, my offer still stands. I'd really like to meet her."

Luke shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"Are you sure you're okay with me coming over?" said Lorelai, scruntinizing Luke carefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Come by if you want."

"You're sure? I mean, my offer still stands?"

Luke looked surprised. "Yeah, of course it still stands. I'm just still a little preoccupied with all this, that's all."

"If you say so," Lorelai muttered, as Luke went to serve another table. Though she knew Luke really was preoccupied with April, she was getting the nagging feeling that he was also thinking about something else.

It was only when Luke brought her a cup of coffee and refused to meet her gaze that Lorelai realized where she'd last seen the weird look he'd been giving her. It had just been the last summer, when a painter had been repainting a door Paul Anka had scratched (Luke had been busy, or else he would have done it). He hadn't realized that she was in the shower and had come in to see her naked. His unwillingness to meet her eyes was identical to the way Luke had been avoiding her gaze for the last couple of days.

She stopped Luke before he could leave her table. "Hey Luke, are you sure it's not just April? These past few days, even when we went on April's website, you've look just like my painter did when he caught me in the shower this summer. You didn't burst into my house and see me naked, did you?"

Luke almost dropped the coffee pitcher he'd been holding. "What? No! God, Lorelai, of course not!"

Lorelai frowned at Luke. If it wasn't her imagination, then he was actually twitching. "Are you all right?" she asked. "I mean, you can calm down. I know you didn't really burst into my house or anything." She grinned impishly. Though she knew this was not the time to harass Luke, she could not resist the way Luke looked so uncomfortable. "That is, unless you had a dream about me or something. I know how men's minds work." Her grin grew wider. "I'll bet I was pretty irresistible."

Luke was still gaping at her, open mouthed, and Lorelai felt an unexpected flutter. For the first time, she considered the possibility that Luke really had had a dream about her, after all. Although it seemed absurd, she could not think of anything else that would have made things so weird between them. "Luke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it-" Luke just shook his head.

"I've just been, you know, thinking about April, and you're the only one who knows, so…I've probably just took it out on you, that's all." For the first time in days, he met her gaze. Lorelai realized she'd never noticed his blue eyes before. While not as bright as hers or Rory's, Luke's eyes possessed an endearing softness. _Even Christopher doesn't have such pretty eyes._

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, Lorelai?"

Instantly, Lorelai snapped back into reality. "What?"

"I guess you're picturing _me _naked now?"

"W-what?"

"I asked you what you wanted for breakfast, and you didn't say anything." Luke smirked, and his eyes shone. God, she had never really noticed the impish quality in his eyes when they shone before. "I never thought I'd see the day that Lorelai Gilmore spaced out during the prospect of food."

"I was just thinking about what time I could get away from the Dragonfly," Lorelai said defensively. "Now, if you're ready, I'd like a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, extra syrup, and a couple of refills of coffee."

"I guessed the coffee part," said Luke, heading back to the counter. Lorelai forced herself to stop looking after him. _Get a grip, Lorelai, _she scolded herself._ It's not like you _were _picturing him naked or anything. _

She took another sip of coffee, her cheeks considerably flushed. For the first time in a long while, Lorelai was reminded of the fact that Luke Danes, the owner of Luke's Diner and her good friend, was a member of the opposite sex-and a very handsome one at that.

XXXXXXX

In spite of the awkwardness that had transpired between them that morning, Lorelai arrived at Luke's diner late that afternoon. Though Luke was not visible, she recognized the small girl filling up salt and peppershakers at a nearby table from the website's pictures. Smiling, she approached her.

"Hi!" Lorelai said, as a startled April look up. "You must be April. I'm Lorelai."

April gave her a good, long look. "You're not a strangler, are you?"

Lorelai laughed. Leave it to Luke to tell April some ridiculous lie to keep her from announcing her identity to all of Stars Hallow. "I guess Luke told you that as a way to keep you from talking to strangers, huh?"

"He told me I shouldn't trust anyone, but that this is a very safe town," April informed her. Though April's tone had a slightly condescending edge to it, Lorelai found herself charmed by the precocious twelve-year-old girl. "If you could shed some light onto the issue, I'd appreciate it, because I'm very confused."

"Well, you know your dad's just really worried about looking out for you right now," Lorelai said, not wanting to explain about Luke's reluctance to let Stars Hallow know. "It's a big thing, finding out you have a daughter you didn't know about-just like I'm sure it's a big thing to find out you have a father, too."

"I've always known I had a father," said April, raising her eyebrows. "It's impossible not to have both a mother and father, even if you were born in a Petri dish, so my situation isn't quite the same as his. Still, I think I know what you know mean. I'm still digesting it, since the situation is so new." She peered at Lorelai closer. "I guess you know Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm Lorelai Gilmore, one of his best customers," Lorelai said, smiling. "I'm usually here for at least one meal a day, rain or shine. Someday when you're a little older, you'll have to try Luke's coffee. It's the best coffee I've ever tasted, and believe me, I've tasted a lot of coffee."

Luke came out just as Lorelai was extending her hand. "That's how Avian Flu spreads," he informed her.

Lorelai stared at him and placed her hand back at her side. "And how do you know this particular piece of information?"

Luke tilted his head in April's direction. "Oh, good one," said Lorelai, glancing back at her. "That's something I'll definitely have to remember. No handshakes then, that's for sure. The last thing I want to do is to catch the ole bird."

April stared from Luke to Lorelai. "So you know each other?" April said, fixing her attention back on Luke. "That is, beyond Lorelai coming to your diner every day?"

"Uh, yeah, we're friends," said Lorelai.

Luke added, "Lorelai and her daughter Rory have been coming into the diner for the last nine years. Someday, I'll have to tell you the story of how we first met."

Lorelai realized at that moment that she did not even remember Luke's and her first encounter-she had been coming to the diner for so long that she could not even remember how it had all started. How funny to think that Luke did. He was still talking, though, so she forced herself to fix her attention back on him.

"You know, April, if you have any questions about college, you can talk to Rory. She went to Chilton for high school and is a junior at Yale, so I'm sure she'll be able to answer anything you want to know-not that, uh, you want to go to Yale or anything."

"I haven't thought much about Yale, but it would be interesting to hear the experiences of someone who goes to an Ivy League," said April. To Lorelai's relief, she did not ask more about Rory or Lorelai's age.

"So, Lorelai, what is it you do? Aside from drinking excessive amounts of coffee, that is, which I should mention has extremely negative effects on your stomach lining over a long period of time. I'm trying to get my mom to stop drinking it, but I haven't had much luck so far."

Luke and Lorelai exchanged a look, both agreeing that there clearly had been no mistake in April's paternity tests. Turning back to April, Lorelai said, "I actually own and manage the Dragonfly Inn. It only opened a year ago, and before that, I managed another inn, the Independence Inn."

April's eyes lit up. "Oh, I remember why your name sounds so familiar! An article about your inn was one of the first things that came up when I googled Stars Hallow, back when I was trying to find the directions to Luke's diner. I can't believe I didn't realize it before." She smiled. "I really liked the anecdotes about your mother. That, and the pictures of the horses, Desdemona and Cletus. They're great names."

"Well, April, if you're interested, I was actually talking to your dad a few days ago about the possibility of you visiting," Lorelai said, after another glance at Luke. "I know your dad's busy today, but if you have some time later in the week, we would love to have you. Desdemona and Cletus would love it too; they don't get as much attention when it snows."

"I'd really like that," April said, smiling wider. "I'm not around horses much, and it would be nice to get some direct studying of them, instead of just learning about them from books." In a softer tone, she added, "Besides, I'd really love to see it. One of the things that struck me the most from the article was how you rose to success after being a teenage mother, and having a single mother myself, that's something I can definitely relate to." She scrunched up her forehead in thought. "Does tomorrow work?"

"It's a date," said Lorelai, pleased things had gone so well. "That is, I mean…Luke, is it okay with you?"

Luke was looking considerably dazed. "It's fine," he said. "We'll just, uh, stop off tomorrow?"

"Anytime is fine," Lorelai said. "Just give me a call so I know when to expect you-though knowing me, I'm sure I'll come over for coffee earlier." She chuckled. "So, hey, April, it was really nice to meet you. I'll just leave you some time to get more acquainted with your dad, and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"See you," said April, smiling. Lorelai smiled back, still feeling good about the compliment April had paid her.

She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she did not see April raising her eyebrows at Luke.

XXXXXX

"You know, you don't have to find anything from me," April said a few minutes after Lorelai left, following Luke into the storage room.

"You really shouldn't be in here; it's dangerous. Something might fall on you or something," Luke said, grabbing a package of hamburgers buns.

April ignored him. "I mean, I know you don't know anything about twelve-years-olds, but I should mention I'm not a kid. If there's something going on that I don't know about, then you shouldn't feel like you have to keep it from me."

"There's nothing you don't know about," said Luke, wondering what April was going on about. "You want any more rice to mix with that salt to smooth out the lumps or whatever?"

"My mom usually trusts me with whatever's on her mind," April continued. "Not all of the time, obviously, but she doesn't believe in keeping things from me. Well, except for some of her boyfriends, but if I were to say, meet one of her boyfriends at her work, she would tell me the truth. She wouldn't just say he was just a friend." She shook her head at the bag of rice Luke was offering her. "I've decided against brown rice; it might look more decorative, but I don't want it to backfire by people thinking there are bugs in it or something. Using one shaker with brown rice as the control group didn't work out so well."

"White rice it is, then," said Luke, going back to the shelves to find some white rice. He tried to shoo out April, but once again, she ignored him.

In a conversational tone, she asked, "Is Lorelai your girlfriend?"

Luke spun around, his search for rice now forgotten. "My _what_?"

"Your girlfriend," said April, approaching the shelves to look for rice. She climbed onto a stool so she could look at the higher shelves. Luke was so taken aback he did not even make an attempt to stop her. "Is Lorelai your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Luke said, swallowing hard, as he continued to search for the white rice. God, why hadn't he put the two types of rice next to each other?

"Well, if she's not your girlfriend, then there's obviously some unfulfilled sexual tension in the air," said April, matter-of-factly. She held out a bag. "By the way, I think I found the white rice, so-"

Luke cut her off, distracted by her previous comment. "Wait a minute. Unresolved sexual tension?" he sputtered. "Aren't you twelve?"

"Hey, everyone knows about sex," April said, shrugging. She stepped off the stool she'd been using. "Sex is a natural part of the Animal Kingdom. If there wasn't sex, no one would reproduce, and we wouldn't be here. We owe our very existence to the act of intercourse."

Luke stopped April just as she was heading to the storage room's door. "April, wait a minute," he said. "As long as you're going to be with me, there are some rules, okay? I, uh, know that sex is important for reproduction and that, um, it's good that it happens, because it's good to be alive and all, but there are some things I just don't want to talk about. So if you could refrain from mentioning the words 'sex,' or 'sexual tension' ever again, then I would feel a lot better."

"Even when it's plainly obvious you're in love with Lorelai?"

"Lorelai and I are just friends," Luke said firmly, wondering how April had managed to deduce this from one meeting. "Now, come on. Lane has a break soon, and I have customers waiting."

"You know, I could help you," said April, not moving. He gave her a little push in the direction of the door, but she still did not budge. "I mean, I don't have much matchmaking experience, since Mom always tries to keep her relationships and me separate, but I read a lot. I'm sure with some doe eyes and a few comments about how great you are, I could convince Lorelai to go out with you."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not in love with Lorelai?" Luke said, throwing up his hands.

"You're being defensive, and you're not looking at me," said April. "That's two liar characteristics right there."

"April-"

"I don't see what the big deal is," said April, and indeed, Luke could tell she did not. "I like Lorelai; she's really nice. She's pretty, too. So if you ask me, then you have good tastes. Besides going out with Mom, that is."

XXXXXXX

Lorelai was in her car, halfway to the Dragonfly, when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said, placing it up to her ear.

"Lor, I've been trying to call you for the last fifteen minutes. Where were you?"

"Sorry, Chris, I was at Luke's. I forgot that I had the phone off."

"Wait, Lorelai, am I hearing this right? You had the phone off at Luke's? _Luke's_, who you never pay attention to the 'no cell phone' rule before?"

"I was trying to be a role model for his daughter. You know, follow rules, don't rebel. It would have been on if April wasn't there."

"Explain to me why you answered the phone while Rory was there, then."

"Hey, Rory's different. She should follow in her mother's footsteps. April's different. This thing with Luke and her is so new that I don't want her to disrespect her father over a stupid rule just yet."

There was a long pause on the phone. "You know, Lor, sometimes I don't even know why I bother."

Lorelai paused. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean this whole Luke thing. First you don't call me back because you're talking with him, then you blow me off to help him get internet for his kid's website, and now you're turning off your phone while you're in the diner. I think I have the right to be a little nervous."

"Christopher, I've told you before. Luke and I are just friends," said Lorelai, trying not to think of the odd exchange that had passed between them that morning. "I'm sorry if I've been ignoring you, but Luke's just been going through a hard time lately. I'm just trying to be supportive."

Christopher took a second before answering. "You promise?"

Lorelai pulled her car into the Inn's driveway. "Yeah, I promise. Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow night? Catch a movie or something?" She decided it would be best not to mention that April and Luke would be coming over to the Dragonfly tomorrow.

Again, Christopher hesitated. "Yeah, that'd be good," he said finally. "I'll have to find a babysitter for Gigi, but I think I can swing it. You'll-that is, I'll call you tomorrow to find out the details?"

"Sounds good," said Lorelai, turning off her car. "Bye, Chris. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Lor. I love you."

Lorelai unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

XXXXXXXX

"You know, you can deny it all you want, but I'm going to find out anyhow," April said later, putting on her bike helmet. They were standing in front of the diner, and Luke had just reminded her to drive safely.

Luke felt his stomach tie into knots. "You're still on me about Lorelai again?"

"You know, there's a test my friends and I do at school to see if someone likes someone," April said. She went up to Luke, held up her arm, and snapped her fingers in her face. "Lorelai. Lorelai. Lorelai."

"April-"

"Now look me in the eye and tell me you don't think she's pretty."

"I-"

"See, you won't even look at me!" said April. She grinned. "You are _so _easy to read."

Though he wanted to set April straight, Luke sensed April was not going to drop it. "You're not going to tell, uh, Lorelai about this, are you?" he said, as he had a horrible flash of April announcing to Lorelai his feelings.

"What?" said April, feigning innocence. "You mean about the sexual tension in the air between you?"

"April, I'm warning you-"

"I just call it like I see it," April said, mounting her bike. She grinned impishly. "Tomorrow is going to be _so _much fun."


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: TOTALLY didn't mean to go almost a whole week without updating! I'll make it up for you by posting a few updates this week. On the other hand, I DID post two oneshots for your reading delight this week, so I guess you can forgive me (and two more oneshots are in the process of being halfway done, with a few more plot bunnies forming as we speak!). ;)

As you'll see from this chapter, I simply couldn't resist the idea of bringing back those silly audio tapes from "Luke Can See Her Face" (best scene ever, by the way!). I'm not sure if there is a hard copy version of what the guy is saying in the tapes in addition to the audio version, but for the sake of this fic, we'll just pretend there is. And April's and Luke's relationship progesses maybe a little quicker in this chapter than they do in the series, but hey, it's my story now. ;)

In this chapter, I also give a shout out to _New Moon _(NOT the _Twilight _book!), my favorite magazine when I was April's age. It's all about teaching girl power and has lots of articles written by young girls and features where they can write in about growing up and sexism, so I though it would be appropriate that April read it too (I have to admit I miss the times when _New Moon _was only a magazine and a cycle of a moon! Sorry, Twitards, don't hate me there).

And fyi, I still don't own _Gilmore Girls_. At the very least, I wish I could own Paul Anka...but I don't even own him. :(

P.S. Lauren Graham quote of the day: "These people are so dysfunctional. Why don't they just make out already?" (Yes, I've been watching more interviews on Youtube again)

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**Chapter Three**

XXXXXXXXXX

Luke and April arrived at the Dragonfly at around twelve the following afternoon, just in time for lunch. "Hey!" said Lorelai, as she saw both of them, from where she was waiting on the Dragonfly's porch. "You guys are in luck, cause I got someone to take over my shift, and I get to spend a whole few hours committed to you."

April's attention was instantly diverted to the furry creature besides Lorelai. "Is that your dog?" she said eagerly, bending down to pet him. Lorelai grinned as Paul Anka stuck out his tongue and responded to the girl's petting.

"Yes, that's Paul Anka. I guess you don't know who Paul Anka is?" April shook her head. "Well, he was this singer, who became popular in the 50's and 60's. I really used to love his music when I was younger. Paul Anka was actually a rescue, and his real name was Coco, but it just didn't seem to fit him."

"Definitely not," said April, rubbing his belly. "He's a Paul Anka, through and through." April gave Luke a quick glance. When she looked back at Lorelai, she had an impish grin on her face. "So what does this Paul Anka look like, anyway?"

Lorelai was confused by the impish tone in April's voice and the way Luke was glaring, but she assumed it had to do with April's eagerness to hear about a cute member of the opposite sex. Lorelai could not help smiling as she launched into her description. "Well, he's much older now, but he was definitely quite the looker in his younger days. Brown eyes…a nice sculpted face…brown hair…" Her grin grew wider, as she remembered a Paul Anka poster she had put up in her room, back in the day.

"Oh, brown hair," said April, seeming thoroughly interested by this. "You mean like Luke's?"

Luke sent April another withering look; Lorelai's heart pounded quicker, realizing she had no idea what was going on with them. "Well, uh, yeah, kinda like Luke's, only his eyes are brown, and your dad's are…blue." Noticing the way April's eyebrows had raised, Lorelai said quickly, "I don't usually bring Paul Anka around, anyway. It's not exactly good behavior for an inn owner to bring her dog along, and I'm sure if Paul Anka had been around the day I got interviewed for the article-not that I actually had Paul Anka at the time or anything-the article would have never been written. But Michel-he manages the front desk with me; you'll meet him, he's quite a character-has been bringing his chows here, and they keep making all this trouble, so I brought Paul Anka to show him what a well behaved, normal dog looks like. Aren't you, boy?" she said to the dog fondly, who wagged his tail in delight.

Luke stared at her. "A well behaved, normal dog? Lorelai, that dog is afraid of peas!"

Lorelai could not resist smiling, and she glanced at April, eager to see how the twelve-year-old had taken in this new information. But to her further surprise, April did not seem to have registered this. In a tone that was genuinely curious, April said, "So how tall is this Paul Anka, anyway?"

"Well, actually, he's only five-six or something," said Lorelai, grimacing. "As you can imagine, that put the damper on my fantasy when I was younger…I literally outgrew it, you could say."

April nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I know it's sexist and traditional, but I think it's very important for a woman to be with someone at least a few inches taller than her or at least the same height. Being a tall woman, you seem like you would go best with a tall man." She glanced at her father. "How tall are you, Luke?"

Luke gave his daughter a long look before answering. "Six foot."

"And I guess you're about five-nine?" April said to Lorelai.

When Lorelai nodded, April said, "See, six foot, five-nine, those are the perfect heights there. Only three inches in difference, and about the same height in heels. If you could find someone six foot"-April gave a slight glance in Luke's difference-"then I'd just stop looking."

Luke was glaring at her. Glancing between the two, Lorelai had the distinct feeling she'd missed an earlier conversation between them-though what, she was not sure she wanted to know. "So, uh, April, I never pegged you for a _Cosmo_ or _Teen Vogue_ girl type," she said.

April wrinkled her nose. "I'm definitely not. I've only picked up a few of those magazines when the doctor's office had nothing else, and though it is an interesting commentary on the female sex, I prefer science magazines or _New Moon_." She grinned. "Those writers of _New Moon _would _hate_ me if they knew I was having this conversation with you. It's a really feminist magazine, you know-I actually submitted an abbreviated version of my lab report to them, but I haven't heard anything back yet."

Lorelai was just about to ask something else, but Luke gave her a warning look, and she decided it would be best not to risk it.

Lorelai showed April around the Inn, and the three of them-four, counting Paul Anka-made their way to the stables. April especially enjoyed seeing the horses, whom she claimed were much prettier in person. After that, they decided to get some lunch. Although Lorelai offered not to come, since she was still wary of stepping over Luke's relationship with April, April was very adamant that she joined them, especially as Luke and she were spending some alone time together after lunch.

It was when Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and commented that it was nothing like Luke's that April turned to her father. "You know, you haven't told me the story of how you guys met," April said. "You said you were going to."

Lorelai's attention was immediately fixed. Ever since the past day, she had been racking her mind, trying to remember Luke's and her first encounter. As hard as she tried, she still had not been able to come up with anything. It seemed like Luke and his diner had always been a part of her daily routine.

Lorelai forced a smile. "Yeah, Luke, I'd love to hear you tell it. Was I on one of my famous coffee rampages?"

Luke hesitated, but both Lorelai and April were looking at him now, and he seemed unable to resist. "Okay, okay. I guess I could tell you." He took a breath. "It was at my diner, it was a very busy day, and the place was packed. I was just serving a table when this wild eyed woman comes tearing into my place in a caffeine frenzy…"

As Lorelai listened, the story began to come back to her, little by little. Mia had told her about the new diner in town, and she had been eager to try a cup of what Mia had insisted was the best coffee. She had recognized Luke from various town events, but that had been the first time she had talked to him. Although she had enjoyed the banter between them about the coffee, she had never guessed then how close friends she and Luke Danes would eventually become.

Luke finished the story with something she had forgotten about-his horoscope. "So I'm looking at this piece of paper in my hand, and under 'Scorpio,' she had written, 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away.' I gave her coffee."

"But she didn't go away," April and Lorelai both said softly.

Luke smiled distantly. "She told me to keep the horoscope in my wallet and that someday it would bring me good luck. But yeah, she definitely didn't go away."

A long pause settled between them. "Wow," said Lorelai finally, "I, uh, can't believe you remember it that well. I mean, it's kinda coming back to me, but you…you should become a professional storyteller or something. That was really good." A new thought occurred to her, and Lorelai was surprised by how nervous she felt. "Did you keep the horoscope and put it in your wallet, like I told you to?"

Luke looked uncomfortable. "Uh, no. You know I don't believe in that horoscope crap."

"Oh," said Lorelai softly. She was surprised by how disappointed she felt, even though she knew she should have suspected as much. "I guess horoscopes are kinda silly, when you think about it. Don't you think, April?" she said, hoping the budding scientist would be able to help change the subject.

April, however, only shrugged her shoulders. "I do agree they're rather ludicrous," she said, "but under circumstances…well, it was a really nice story."

The awkward moment was interrupted by Sookie, the only person Lorelai had told about April besides Rory and Christopher. "Here you are!" she said brightly, carrying their plates. "Since I know you, you get special deliveries, fresh from the chef!" She frowned, seeming to realize how none of the members of the trio were looking at each other. "Am I interrupting something here?"

"No, of course not," said Lorelai quickly, and after a slight tilt of her head towards Lorelai, Sookie set down the plates. Lorelai, April, and Luke dug in, and the subject was dropped.

XXXXXXX

Things were especially quiet on the way back to the diner. It was only when the diner came into sight that April said timidly, "That was a really nice story you told about Lorelai."

Luke parked his car, but did not turn it off. As he saw the intent way April was gazing at him from behind her glasses, he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep up this charade any longer.

"Yeah, well, it's too bad it took me telling the story for her to remember it," Luke muttered.

April shook her head. "No, I think you really got her at the end. It was only the whole thing about you not believing in horoscopes that bothered her." She glanced at Luke again. "Why haven't you asked her out before now?"

Luke sighed, as he thought about how he was going to explain things. "Lorelai Gilmore has always been…unattainable. I was attracted to her the first time I saw her, but I was still getting over another girlfriend, Rachel, and Lorelai was always so preoccupied with Rory. I had no idea we'd become so close friends or that someday, she'd be the first person I'd turn to with the news I had a daughter." He glanced at her, eager to see how she'd take in this new information.

"But...?" April prodded.

"Well, I guess the timing was never right. Even when she wasn't dating someone, Lorelai was always so charismatic, so full of energy, and me-well, I do better when I'm by myself." He forced a laugh. "I was kinda afraid you'd like her better than me at first. But there were so many times Lorelai was dating someone, and it wasn't until recently that I came to terms with how serious I was about her, and Lorelai just never seemed to look at me that same way."

"She might not have then, but I've seen the way she looks at her now," said April. "When I was talking about the sexual tension between you yesterday, I didn't just mean your feelings for her. Just because she's dating Rory's dad doesn't mean she doesn't feel anything for you. I bet if you tell her you like her, she'll dump him for you."

"April, it's not just that," said Luke, trying to find the right words to explain the situation to a twelve-year-old girl. He cleared his throat. "The thing is, even though I've realized now that your mom wasn't right for me-and I wasn't right for her-I did love her, at the time. And I really thought I loved my other girlfriend, Rachel, too. But while I don't regret having relationships with them…especially your mom, or else there would have never been a you…there was a lot of pain from them as well. If Lorelai and I were to get together, we'd have to stay together. The town's too small, and I don't want to lose our friendship. I can't stay with Lorelai unless I know things are going to work out between us-permanently." The word "permanently" shook Luke, as he imagined being married to Lorelai, but he put this aside.

"You mean," said April slowly, "for all these year's Lorelai's been…a fantasy."

Luke let out a breath. "Yeah. A fantasy."

He made a motion, as though to open the car door, but April touched his arm to stop him. "You know, when I was with my uncle figuring out the lab results, I found this self-help book he had, back from when he was single and trying to find the right woman," she said quietly. "I thought it was ridiculous at first, and I told him so"-April rolled her eyes, and Luke laughed-"but he made me read some of it, to give it a chance, and I guess it did help him meet my aunt, so it can't be all that bad. Anyway, there's this quiz I remember some of-well, actually, I remember all of it, because I have a photographic memory-that could maybe help.

"It's this exercise on fantasies," she said, tilting her head at him meaningfully. When he made no effort to stop her, she continued. "I listened to the cassette version too, and the guy's voice was really obnoxious, so listening to me should be less annoying."

In the same way as Luke had before beginning his story, April took a deep breath.

"Whose phone calls or visits are never unwanted or too long? Do you see her face? Who would you most like to have in your life to ward off moments of loneliness? Do you see her face? When you travel, who would make your travels more enjoyable? Do you see her face? When you're in pain, who would you most like to comfort you? Do you see her face? When something wonderful happens in your life-a promotion at work, a successful refinancing-who do you want to share the news with? Do you see her face?" Although April had vowed not to become as corny as the cassette tapes, she still spoke with exaggeration at the next words. "Whose face appears to you, my friend? Whose face?"

Luke was so taken aback that he did not even laugh at the comic expression on April's face. Though he still found the idea of self help books ludicrous and stupid, he wondered for the first time whether he would have been a different person had he bought one of these self help books or tapes a few years ago-before Liz's wedding, perhaps. Indeed, it had been Lorelai's face he'd seen during April's words…_Lorelai_, whose blue eyes had shone at him.

He'd definitely fantasized Lorelai before, as was especially evident by the continuous dreams he'd had about her lately, but that had all they'd been. Fantasies. In the nine years since he and Lorelai had met, he had had many absurd fantasies about being Rory's stepfather and getting Lorelai to stop drinking coffee, on account of her pregnancy with his baby (or babies, as was the case in that dream Lorelai had had about carrying his twins). Still, he had always pushed aside these fantasies, because he wasn't sure that things between him and Lorelai would work. For the first time, Luke wondered if perhaps things would work out…that Lorelai really was a fantasy that could become a reality, after all.

"You really did keep Lorelai's horoscope, didn't you?" said April quietly, startling him out of his thoughts.

Luke swallowed, his voice now rough. "Yeah," he said softly. "I did. Actually, it's in my wallet right now."

April grinned, pleased with herself.

In spite of his revelation, Luke's mind fixated on something else that wasn't quite adding up. He couldn't help himself; he was curious. "Hey, April," he said, as April continued to smile, "I'm, uh, really glad you're in with me on this, and you're the only one I've ever really told about my, uh, feelings for Lorelai, but I'm curious. How come you know so much about this? I mean, no offense, but you're twelve-years-old."

April took a long time to answer. "Well, you're my father," she said finally. "It's still new, but you are my father. And I like Lorelai. I think you'd be good together."

"Well, yeah, you've said that, but that doesn't answer my other question. How did you know so much about this in the first place? Don't tell me you were listening to your uncle's tapes _and _reading the hard copy because you had a premonition this would happen."

April looked out the window of the car, now tense. "My uncle made me."

"And…? April, I'm not dumb. You've given me a lot more relationship advice than just that."

April clenched her jaw. "It was for my mom," she said finally. "I thought maybe I could help her."

"Oh…" said Luke. April's arms were still crossed. "Well, uh, April, what's the big deal with that? You were trying to help your mother; that was a nice thing of you."

"It wasn't just for her," said April, looking down at her knees now.

Luke peered at her. "No?"

"No." April let out another deep breath. Finally looking at him, she said, "The reason I did so much research before was because I really wanted to find someone for her, and…I thought if she did get married…well, I've always wanted a dad."

Luke was filled with emotion at that moment. All at once, he found himself engulfed in memories of Rory; how he had watched her grow up over the years, how fond he had become of her, and that nagging feeling that had sometimes unexpectedly run through him, as he wondered what it would be like if she was his own.

"Well, I guess we have something in common then," Luke said quietly, surprised to realize how much he meant the last words, "cause I've always wanted a daughter, too."

April looked at him, surprised. "Really?" she said, and he nodded. "But…I thought coming to you…I didn't expect anything; not really. After Mom finally got the story of my experiment out of me, I told her how uncomfortable you were around me, and that I didn't think you were married and had any kids, and she said she wasn't surprised. I guess you hated kids when you were with her or something-she even said she'd probably have told you if you hadn't made all those remarks about kids at the time."

"April, that was who I was thirteen years ago," Luke said, a lump rising in his throat. "I guess you could say Lorelai and Rory changed me in more ways than one, because after I got my head around everything, I was so, so excited about getting to know you."

"Really?" said April, her face now guarded. "You're not just saying that?"

"I swear, April," said Luke softly. "I'm so happy I have a daughter."

An uncharacteristic sob escaped from April. She looked embarrassed when he looked at her, but he did not give her a chance to dwell on that for long. Instead, he reached across to the car seat next to him and kissed April on her head. It was April who initiated the embrace. And for the first time, Luke allowed himself to really believe in a future of starting a life with Lorelai and having more moments like this, with more kids of his own.

"Thanks for not being too freaked out by me," said April, breaking away so that she could look at him.

Luke smiled. "No, April. Thank _you._"

He knew he meant that in many more ways than one.

XXXXXXX

Later that evening, Lorelai ran into Luke towards the front of Doosie's. "Hey," she said, looking at him. "How was the rest of your day with April?"

"It was really good," said Luke, and indeed, he seemed more relaxed and enthusiastic than she had seen him since finding out about April. "I let Lane and Caesar take the rest of my shifts, and we went up to my apartment, and April showed me this book she had on polar bears. I'm actually buying some celery, peanut butter, and raisins for her. I don't know when she's coming back, but I want to be prepared. Bugs on a log are her favorite."

Lorelai smiled, but did not correct him.

"So, what are you doing here?" Luke said, looking her over. "Don't you have a date with Christopher or something?"

"Yeah, but I have a headache," said Lorelai, holding some aspirin she'd grabbed. "I just wanted to grab this first."

Luke looked unsure of what to say, so she said, "You know…long day. Michel's really been on my case for taking so much time off lately, and I guess bringing Paul Anka wasn't such a good idea." She forced a smile.

"Yeah," said Luke. "Maybe not."

They stared at each other for a few moments, each unsure what to say, until Luke cleared his throat. "You know, Kirk let it slip that _Breakfast as Tiffany's _or something is playing at the movie theatre next. Audrey Hepburn's not really my thing, but, you know, I'm sure Rory and you have referenced that movie at some time or another, so I was thinking maybe you'd like to go to it…and that maybe if you were going, I'd stop by and see if I like it."

Lorelai's spirits rose. "That's great! I don't think they've played _Breakfast at Tiffany's _since Rory was a little girl." She smiled. "God, that brings back memories."

Luke was still watching her. "So, you'll be going?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Yeah, I'd like to. Well, I'll have to convince Christopher, but I should be there."

Although Luke's expression did not change, Lorelai must have said something, because she could feel a change in the air between them. "Right, you'll have to check with Christopher," Luke said. Removing his gaze, he glanced up and down the aisles. "Well, uh, I should probably find the celery and the peanut butter and the raisins now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Lorelai, feeling a little dazed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Luke nodded and disappeared into the aisles.

She wanted to say something else, but she was not sure what to say. She could still feel Luke's gaze on her, though she was sure she was imagining it.

Sighing, she went to the cash register to pay for her aspirin.


End file.
